The Carlos Family in honor of Thalia N. Carlos Presents
Atlanta Ballet Dancers. Photo by Kim Kenney.
December 6-27, 2025
Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre
With the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra
Conducted by Ari Pelto, Tamara Dworetz
Music by Pyotr IIyich Tchaikovsky
Choreography by Yuri Possokhov
Scenic Design by Tom Pye
Costume Design by Sandra Woodall
Lighting Design by David Finn
Video Design by Finn Ross
Props and Set Decoration by Faye Armon-Troncoso
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COMPANY BALLET REPETITEURS
Angela Agresti, Rory Hohenstein, Eduardo Permuy
CHOREOGRAPHER-IN-RESIDENCE
Claudia Schreier
DEAN OF THE CENTRE FOR DANCE EDUCATION
Sharon Story
CHILDREN’S CAST REHEARSAL ASSISTANTS
Marlena Abaza, Serena Chu, Courtney Johnson, Cary Jones
THE COMPANY
Santiago Bedoya, Severin Brotschul, Khulan Burenjargal, Georgie Grace Butler, Valeria Chaykina, Catherine Conley, Larissa Dal’Santo, Talisson Farias, Brooke Gilliam, Jessica He, Gianna Horton-Sibble, Airi Igarashi, Darian Kane, Matoi Kawamoto, Milei Lee, Sojung Lee, Jordan Leeper, Guilherme Maciel, Juliana Missano, Miguel Angel Montoya, Marius Morawski, Mayu Nakayama, Denys Nedak, Carraig New, Sayron Pereira, Sophie Poulain, Ángel Ramírez, Júlio Santos, Mikaela Santos, Anderson Souza, Paxton Speight, Emanuel Tavares, Jonas Tutaj, Munkhjin Ulziijargal, Luiz Fernando Xavier, Rei Yamaguchi, Nicholas Yurkevich, Rachel Olivia Zinman
ATLANTA BALLET 2
Caroline Giltner, Daniel Gray, Sayaka Iwase, Camille-Margaret Jackson, Stacey Johnson, Jacob Lainchbury, Emily McAllister, Sakura Natorigawa, Avery Nelson, Isabela Oku, Leo O’Reilly Okuno, Dyhan Pierre, Ícaro Queiros, Gianni Salazar, Eliza Soto, Kahlen Wright
Atlanta Ballet 2 courtesy of Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education
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Dorothy Moses Alexander - Atlanta Ballet Founder, 1929 - 1960
Robert Barnett - Artistic Director Emeritus, 1961 - 1994
John McFall – Artistic Director, 1994 - 2016
Ott Vineyards & Winery
This staging of The Nutcracker ballet takes place in a charming German city on Christmas Eve and incorporates elements from E.T.A. Hoffmann’s 1816 story “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King,” set to the iconic Tchaikovsky score. This two-act ballet, a classic holiday story, uses elaborately crafted scenery combined with advanced techniques in lighting and video projection to enhance the story’s magic.
ACT I
It is Christmas Eve, and family and friends gather for holiday festivities at the Stahlbaum house. Guests arrive by sleds and skis and frolic outside. Young Marie Stahlbaum, a shy bookworm, welcomes the arrival of the guests, including her mysterious godfather Drosselmeier, a clock worker who, with his magical abilities, makes Christmas presents for his nieces and nephews every year. This year, he brings a peculiar gift to Marie — a Nutcracker Doll.
It is nearly midnight; the party has ended and the guests have said their goodbyes. Marie returns to the cabinet to check on her new
Atlanta Ballet dancers and Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education students. Photo by Kim Kenney.
Nutcracker Doll and suddenly finds herself surrounded by a horde of menacing mice. Magically, her beloved Nutcracker jumps to the rescue as she watches her dolls come to life and everything around her grows in size.
After an exhausting, yet unfinished battle, Drosselmeier reveals to Marie that the Nutcracker is a prince. Charmed with each other, they dance through a wonderland of snow before embarking on a magical journey.
ACT 2
Drosselmeier enters in grand fashion and introduces a world of books, thousands flying in the air when he selects one particularly interesting book. It happens to be the very same book Marie used to fight off the mice and where the Mouse King hid after the battle. The Nutcracker Prince and Marie float back in together and dance among the flowers. Drosselmeier recalls the book, which has grown tremendously, and the Mouse King and his army appear. Drosselmeier arms the Nutcracker Prince for a battle, and the Nutcracker Prince defeats the Mouse King with his sword.
Drosselmeier invites Marie and the Nutcracker Prince back into his mysterious world, taking them on a journey through the pages of a storybook to fantastical places where they meet characters from different countries around the world. Remarkably, they witness bullfights, snake charmers, and the most amazing flower garden dancing in the wind.
On their way back after spending enchanted time together, the Nutcracker Prince wants Marie to stay with him. Drosselmeier separates them, holding onto Marie as the Nutcracker Prince departs.
Marie finds herself dreaming and wakes up. She realizes that everything must come to an end and she is delighted by memories of a wonderful world filled with beautiful music, travel and adventure, evoking the timeless and magical spirit of the holidays that she will fondly remember for years to come.
G E N NADI NE DVIGIN ( Ar tistic Director), in Februar y 2016 , was named
G E N NADI NE DVIGIN ( Ar tistic Director), in Februar y 2016 , was named
Atlanta Ballet’s fourth artistic director in the Company’s then 87-year history. Nedvigin, born in Rostov, Russia, began his training at age 5. At 10, he was accepted into the Bolshoi Ballet Academy. Upon graduating, he joined Moscow Renaissance Ballet, as a soloist, before he was invited to dance with Le Jeune Ballet de France in Paris. In 1997, while on tour in the U.S., San Francisco Ballet (SFB) Artistic Director Helgi Tomasson offered Nedvigin a soloist contract. After three years, he was promoted to principal dancer. While at SFB, Nedvigin won the International Competition’s Erik Bruhn Prize (1999). He has also received three Isadora Duncan Dance Awards (2001, 2010 and 2017). Along the way, Nedvigin was fortunate to work with many world-renowned choreographers. In addition to his dancing career, Nedvigin also taught master classes and staged ballets in the U.S. and abroad before becoming an artistic director. Recently, Nedvigin sat on juried panels at the World Ballet Competition in Orlando, the International Ballet Competition held in Jackson, Mississippi, and the Youth America Grand Prix. Under Nedvigin’s guidance, Atlanta Ballet has established the Academy training program, which includes a top-tier performance ensemble, Atlanta Ballet 2, representing his commitment to training for the next generation of professional dancers.
Atlanta Ballet’s fourth artistic director in the Company’s then 87-year history. Nedvigin, born in Rostov, Russia, began his training at age 5. At 10, he was accepted into the Bolshoi Ballet Academy. Upon graduating, he joined Moscow Renaissance Ballet, as a soloist, before he was invited to dance with Le Jeune Ballet de France in Paris. In 1997, while on tour in the U.S., San Francisco Ballet (SFB) Artistic Director Helgi Tomasson offered Nedvigin a soloist contract. After three years, he was promoted to principal dancer. While at SFB, Nedvigin won the International Competition’s Erik Bruhn Prize (1999). He has also received three Isadora Duncan Dance Awards (2001, 2010 and 2017). Along the way, Nedvigin was fortunate to work with many world-renowned choreographers. In addition to his dancing career, Nedvigin also taught master classes and staged ballets in the U.S. and abroad before becoming an artistic director. Recently, Nedvigin sat on juried panels at the World Ballet Competition in Orlando, the International Ballet Competition held in Jackson, Mississippi, and the Youth America Grand Prix. Under Nedvigin’s guidance, Atlanta Ballet has established the Academy training program, which includes a top-tier performance ensemble, Atlanta Ballet 2, representing his commitment to training for the next generation of professional dancers.
GENNADI NEDVIGIN (Artistic Director), in February 2016, was named Atlanta Ballet’s fourth artistic director in the Company’s then 87-year history. Nedvigin, born in Rostov, Russia, began his training at age 5. At 10, he was accepted into the Bolshoi Ballet Academy. Upon graduating, he joined Moscow Renaissance Ballet as a soloist before he was invited to dance with Le Jeune Ballet de France in Paris. In 1997, while on tour in the U.S., San Francisco Ballet (SFB) Artistic Director Helgi Tomasson offered Nedvigin a soloist contract. After three years, he was promoted to principal dancer. While 19 seasons at SFB, Nedvigin won the International Competition’s Erik Bruhn Prize (1999). He has also received three Isadora Duncan Dance Awards (2001, 2010 and 2017). Along the way, Nedvigin was fortunate to work with many world-renowned choreographers. In addition to his dancing career, Nedvigin also taught master classes and staged ballets in the U.S. and abroad before becoming an artistic director. Recently, Nedvigin sat on juried panels at the World Ballet Competition in Orlando, the International Ballet Competition held in Jackson, Mississippi, the Japan Grand Prix and the Youth America Grand Prix. Under Nedvigin’s guidance, Atlanta Ballet has established the Academy training program, which includes a top-tier performance ensemble, Atlanta Ballet 2, representing his commitment to training for the next generation of professional dancers.
TOM WEST (Executive Director)
TOM WEST (Executive Director)
assumed his role as Atlanta Ballet’s
assumed his role as Atlanta Ballet’s
TOM WEST (Executive Director) assumed his role as Atlanta Ballet’s Executive Director in 2021. West’s career in arts management spans more than 25 years, including leadership roles at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Segerstrom Center for the Arts and American Film Institute. An actor and theatre director by training, West received a Master of Arts in arts management from American University and began his career in arts management at the Kennedy Center in 1997, where he rose to serve as Vice President of Development, overseeing all fundraising programs for the National Symphony Orchestra and the Suzanne Farrell Ballet, and leading Farrell’s effort to fund a remount of Balanchine’s Don Quixote. In 2007, West served as Vice President of Development for the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California. From 2010-2021, West served as the Chief Advancement Officer for the American Film Institute (AFI) in Los Angeles, where he championed the development of new programs to provide bridges to the film industry for under-represented storytellers in Hollywood. West established the AFI National Council in 2011, a community of philanthropists from across the United States who serve as champions for excellence in the art of film and opportunities for the next generation of great storytellers. Since joining Atlanta Ballet in 2021, West’s focus has been on Atlanta Ballet’s long-term financial health and prestige, expanding engagement in the greater Atlanta region and breaking down historic barriers to full participation in the artform of Ballet for all.
Executive Director at the top of the 2021 | 2022 Season. West’s career in arts management spans for more than 20 years including leadership roles at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Segerstrom Center for the Arts and American Film Institute. An actor and theatre director by training, West received a Master of Arts in arts administration from American University and began his career in arts management at the Kennedy Center in 1997, where he rose to the serve as Vice President of Development, overseeing all fundraising programs for the National Symphony Orchestra and the Suzanne Farrell Ballet, and leading the effort to fund a remount of Balanchine’s Don Quixote. In 2007, West served as Vice President of Development for the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California. From 2010-2021, West served as the Chief Advancement Officer for the American Film Institute in Los Angeles, where he championed the development of new programs to provide bridges to the film industry for under-represented storytellers in Hollywood. West also served on AFI’s senior leadership team, shaping organizational strategy for the Institute’s filmmaker training programs and working with major studios developing on targeted diversity initiatives, as well as its strategy for weathering the COVID-19 pandemic. West established the AFI National Council in 2011, a community of philanthropists from across the United States who serve as champions for excellence in the art of film and opportunities for the next generation of great storytellers.
Executive Director at the top of the 2021 | 2022 Season. West’s career in arts management spans for more than 20 years including leadership roles at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Segerstrom Center for the Arts and American Film Institute. An actor and theatre director by training, West received a Master of Arts in arts administration from American University and began his career in arts management at the Kennedy Center in 1997, where he rose to the serve as Vice President of Development, overseeing all fundraising programs for the National Symphony Orchestra and the Suzanne Farrell Ballet, and leading the effort to fund a remount of Balanchine’s Don Quixote. In 2007, West served as Vice President of Development for the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California. From 2010-2021, West served as the Chief Advancement Officer for the American Film Institute in Los Angeles, where he championed the development of new programs to provide bridges to the film industry for under-represented storytellers in Hollywood. West also served on AFI’s senior leadership team, shaping organizational strategy for the Institute’s filmmaker training programs and working with major studios developing on targeted diversity initiatives, as well as its strategy for weathering the COVID-19 pandemic. West established the AFI National Council in 2011, a community of philanthropists from across the United States who serve as champions for excellence in the art of film and opportunities for the next generation of great storytellers.
S HARO N S TO RY (D ean of the C entre for D ance Education) joined Atlanta Ballet after a professional dance career that spanned more than 20 years and included tenures with Joffrey Ballet, the School of American Ballet, Stars of New York City Ballet, Atlanta Ballet and 10 years with Boston Ballet. Her Boston Ballet tenure included international tours with Rudolf Nureyev. In 1996, along with her role as ballet mistress, Story became dean of Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education (Centre), which has grown to become one of the largest dance schools in the nation. The Centre is nationally recognized for its programs and community initiatives. Under Story’s direction, the Centre achieved accreditation with the National Association of Schools of Dance (NASD). She serves on the board of directors for NASD. In 2021, Story received Atlanta Ballet’s Dorothy Alexander Award. She received the 2015 Women Making a Mark Award from Atlanta Magazine and was featured in the Arts ATL Legacy Series 2018. Story is committed to providing a noncompetitive atmosphere and access to dance education that is shaped by the community’s needs, is innovative and inspires the commitment and excellence that are the trademarks of Atlanta Ballet.
S HARO N S TO RY (D ean of the C entre for D ance Education) joined Atlanta Ballet after a professional dance career that spanned more than 20 years and included tenures with Joffrey Ballet, the School of American Ballet, Stars of New York City Ballet, Atlanta Ballet and 10 years with Boston Ballet. Her Boston Ballet tenure included international tours with Rudolf Nureyev. In 1996, along with her role as ballet mistress, Story became dean of Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education (Centre), which has grown to become one of the largest dance schools in the nation. The Centre is nationally recognized for its programs and community initiatives. Under Story’s direction, the Centre achieved accreditation with the National Association of Schools of Dance (NASD). She serves on the board of directors for NASD. In 2021, Story received Atlanta Ballet’s Dorothy Alexander Award. She received the 2015 Women Making a Mark Award from Atlanta Magazine and was featured in the Arts ATL Legacy Series 2018. Story is committed to providing a noncompetitive atmosphere and access to dance education that is shaped by the community’s needs, is innovative and inspires the commitment and excellence that are the trademarks of Atlanta Ballet.
SHARON STORY (Dean of the Centre for Dance Education) joined Atlanta Ballet after a professional dance career that spanned more than 20 years and included tenures with Joffrey Ballet, the School of American Ballet, Stars of New York City Ballet, Atlanta Ballet and 10 years with Boston Ballet. Her Boston Ballet tenure included international tours with Rudolf Nureyev. In 1996, along with her role as ballet mistress, Story became dean of Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education (Centre), which has grown to become one of the largest dance schools in the nation. The Centre is nationally recognized for its programs and community initiatives. Under Story’s direction, the Centre achieved accreditation with the National Association of Schools of Dance (NASD). She serves on the board of directors for NASD. In 2021, Story received Atlanta Ballet’s Dorothy Alexander Award. She received the 2015 Women Making a Mark Award from Atlanta Magazine and was featured in the Arts ATL Legacy Series 2018. Story is committed to providing a noncompetitive atmosphere and access to dance education that is shaped by the community’s needs, is innovative and inspires the commitment and excellence that are the trademarks of Atlanta Ballet.
ANGELA AGRESTI (Company Repetiteur) grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana, where she began her training at the Jordon College Academy of Dance and later transferred to North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) for ballet. After UNCSA, Agresti danced with Cincinnati Ballet for one season before joining Het Nationale Ballet in Amsterdam where she danced a mix of classical ballets, Balanchine works, Hans van Manen repertoire, contemporary and neoclassical works, and new creations. Agresti has been featured in William Forsythe’s Second Detail, Alexei Ratmansky’s Don Quichot, Shen Wei’s Sacre du Printemps, and other notable ballets, such as The Dream, Paquita and Swan Lake. During her time dancing in Amsterdam, Agresti gained experience as a choreographic assistant for multiple choreographers’ stage, film, and festival works. She traveled to Riom, Switzerland, assisting works by Juanjo Arques and Peter Leung for the Origen Cultural Festival. She also worked with Peter Leung on the first ever virtual reality ballet entitled Nightfall. Upon returning to the U.S. in 2018, she assisted Annabelle Lopez Ochoa in the making of Tulips and Lobster for Kansas City Ballet and re-staged the work for the company the following season. Since joining Atlanta Ballet in 2022, she has worked with classical repertoire such as Don Quixote, La Sylphide, and Coppélia, as well as new works for Remi Wörtmeyer, Garrett Smith, Juliano Nunes, and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa. Agresti has had the privilege of guiding dancers in Tu Tu (Stanton Welch), Classical Symphony (Yuri Possokhov), 7 for Eight (Helgi Tomasson), and Prodigal Son (George Balanchine), and has staged the North American premiere of Coco Chanel: The Life of a Fashion Icon
RORY HOHENSTEIN (Company Repetiteur) was born in Washington D.C., where he began dancing at the age of six. Hohenstein furthered his training from the age of 12 at the Kirov Academy of Ballet. At 17, he joined Le Jeune Ballet de France in Paris. In 2000, he joined San Francisco Ballet as a member of the corps, being promoted to soloist in 2006. In 2008, he moved to New York, joining Christopher Wheeldon’s company, Morphoses, performing in its home seasons at New York City Center and at Sadler’s Wells in London. He spent a season dancing with the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company before joining the Joffrey Ballet in 2011, where he continued to be a leading artist with the company through the 2018-19 season. Some personal highlights include dancing the roles of Romeo in Krzysztof Pastor’s Romeo and Juliet, Riff in Jerome Robbins’ West Side Story Suite, Fancy Free, Red Man in Lar Lubovitch’s Elemental Brubeck, The Roper in Agnes De Mille’s Rodeo, Levin in Yuri Possokhov’s Anna Karenina, Forgotten Land from Jiří Kylián and Wayne McGregor’s Eden/Eden. As a Repetiteur Rory has staged several works from choreographers Helgi Tomasson, Lar Lubovitch, Liam Scarlett, and Justin Peck. He has been a Company Repetiteur with Atlanta Ballet since 2019.
EDUARDO PERMUY (Company Repetiteur) was born in Cuba, where he began his training at the age of seven at Laura Alonso’s ballet school Pro-Danza, later joining the National Ballet School of Cuba and finishing at Miami City Ballet School under the tutelage of Nancy Raffa. At the age of 17, Permuy started his professional career with Miami City Ballet as an apprentice and he went on to enjoy a career of 18 years also dancing for American Ballet Theatre Studio Company, Joffrey Ballet, Ballet West, Smuin Contemporary Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, and appearing as guest artist with a few others. During this time, his repertoire included most of the classics and a vast number of ballets from the Balanchine repertoire, ranging from corps to principal roles. He also had the opportunity to perform ballets from Gerald Arpino, Robert Joffrey, Jiří Kylián, Kurt Joss, John Cranko, Frederick Ashton, Kenneth MacMillan, Twyla Tharp, Helen Picket, Nicolo Fonte, Antony Tudor, Ulysses Dove, Michael Smuin, Val Caniparoli, Alberto Alonso, Benjamin Millepied, Leonide Massine, and Amy Seiwert. Throughout his career, Permuy feels blessed to have learned from figures like Nancy Raffa, Fernanado Bujones, Martha Bosh, Sir Anthony Dowell, Christopher Carr, Eddie Villella and Clinton Luckett. In 2021, he joined Cleveland Ballet as a director of repertoire, where he had the opportunity not only to perform ballet master duties but also was able to return to the stage as a character dancer, performing the roles of Don Quijote in the ballet by the same name and Drosselmeyer in The Nutcracker. This is Permuy’s fourth season with Atlanta Ballet.
CLAUDIA SCHREIER (Choreographer-in-Residence) has choreographed, directed, and produced for dance, opera, and film across the U.S. and internationally. She has created over 50 works for various companies and organizations, including San Francisco Ballet, Boston Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Vail Dance Festival, Richmond Ballet, Guggenheim Works & Process, ABT Studio Company, Juilliard Opera, New York Choral Society, and New York Choreographic Institute. Her works for Atlanta Ballet include The Rite of Spring, Nighthawks, Carnivale, Fauna, Pleiades Dances, and First Impulse, named a 2019 Standout Performance by Pointe Magazine. Schreier and Atlanta Ballet partnered with the Cathedral Choir Society in 2022 to present Berlioz’s Roméo et Juliette at the Washington National Cathedral. In 2021, Schreier released Force of Habit, a film commissioned by Guggenheim Works & Process and co-presented by Atlanta Ballet. She has contributed to programs at the White House, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and the Kennedy Center, including the Kennedy Center Honors. Her work is the subject of two documentaries, most recently PBS’s Emmy Award-Winning “Dancing on the Shoulders of Giants” (Capital Region). Schreier presented her TEDx talk “Thinking On Your Feet,” at Columbia University in 2018. She is a recipient of the Princess Grace Award, Toulmin Fellowship at the Center for Ballet and the Arts at NYU, Lotos Prize, and Suzanne Farrell Dance Prize.
LARISSA DAL’SANTO Chapecó, Brazil
SEVERIN BROTSCHUL Glen Arbor, Michigan
CATHERINE CONLEY Chicago, Illinois
GEORGIE GRACE BUTLER Roswell, Georgia
BROOKE GILLIAM Boulder, Colorado
JESSICA HE Rancho Cucamonga, California
AIRI IGARASHI Gunma, Japan
DARIAN KANE Lincoln, California
MATOI KAWAMOTO Tokyo, Japan
JORDAN LEEPER Jamestown, New York
GUILHERME MACIEL São Paulo, Brazil
JULIANA MISSANO Lloyd Harbor, New York
MIGUEL ANGEL MONTOYA Cali, Colombia
KHULAN BURENJARGAL Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
SANTIAGO BEDOYA Medellín, Colombia
GIANNA HORTON-SIBBLE Hornell, New York
SOJUNG LEE Chungju, South Korea
VALERIA CHAYKINA St. Petersburg, Russia
TALISSON FARIAS Resende, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
MILEI LEE Melbourne, Australia
Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
Philippines
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
ÁNGEL RAMÍREZ Trinidad, Cuba
Araruama, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
JONAS
Chicago, Illinois
MUNKHJIN ULZIIJARGAL Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
San Francisco, California
São Paulo, Brazil
Montreal, Quebec, Cananda
Atlanta Ballet dancer portraits courtesy of Kim Kenney.
LUIZ FERNANDO XAVIER
MARIUS MORAWSKI Łódź, Poland
SAYRON PEREIRA
REI YAMAGUCHI Hokkaido, Japan
DENYS NEDAK Odessa, Ukraine
CARRAIG NEW Juneau, Alaska
MIKAELA SANTOS Manila,
ANDERSON SOUZA Santo Angelo, RS, Brazil
MAYU NAKAYAMA Tochigi, Japan
SOPHIE POULAIN
PAXTON SPEIGHT Poquoson, Virginia
EMANUEL TAVARES Fortaleza, Brazil
NICHOLAS YURKEVICH
JÚLIO SANTOS
TUTAJ
RACHEL OLIVIA ZINMAN
22 creative team
YURI POSSOKHOV (Choreographer) danced for 10 years with the Bolshoi Ballet, performing leading roles in the company’s classical and contemporary repertoire. While performing, Possokhov studied choreography and ballet pedagogy at the State College of Theatrical Arts. He was a principal dancer with the Royal Danish Ballet for two years before joining the San Francisco Ballet (SFB) as a principal dancer in 1994. During his 12 years dancing with SFB, he began choreographing. Upon retirement from dancing, he joined SFB’s artistic staff as choreographer-in-residence. He has choreographed over 15 ballets for SFB and continues to create new works for the company. Possokhov also choreographs for companies worldwide. For the Bolshoi Ballet in 2015 and 2017—A Hero of Our Time and Nureyev—full length ballets that received the prestigious Benois de la Danse Award, established by the International Dance Union. Anna Karenina, premiered in 2019 as a co-production of Chicago’s Joffrey Ballet and the Australian Ballet. His most recent full-length ballet, The Seagull, premiered with the Bolshoi Ballet in the summer of 2021. He is a frequent guest choreographer with Atlanta Ballet. His most recent productions for the company were The Nutcracker in 2018, and Classical Symphony and Don Quixote in 2023. Possokhov will be creating a new world premiere for Atlanta Ballet as part of the Golden Hour program in April 2026. Learn more at yuripossokhov.com
TOM PYE (Scenic Designer) has worked with a diverse range of directors around the world in theatre, TV, film, opera and dance. Current credits include The Hours (The Metropolitan Opera), My Neighbour Totoro (RSC/ Barbican Theatre), as well as the “The Ballad of Renegade Nell” for Disney+. After being nominated for a Craft & Design Award for his work on season one, Pye has now been nominated for a Royal Television Society Award for his work on season two of Sally Wainwright’s acclaimed BBC One and HBO series “Gentleman Jack.” Pye served recently as Designer on the Bolshoi Theatre debut of The Seagull and Messiah for the Châtelet Theatre in Paris and the Lyon Opera. Select Broadway credits include Long Day’s Journey into Night, All My Sons, The Glass Menagerie, Fiddler on the Roof (Tony nomination), The Testament of Mary, Cyrano de Bergerac and Medea. Select West End credits include Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, A Christmas Carol, Sinatra and Medea. Select opera credits include Cosi fan Tutte, The Death of Klinghoffer and Eugene Onegin (ENO and The Metropolitan Opera co-productions); Akhnaten (ENO, MET, LA Opera); and Anna Karenina (Joffrey Ballet). In film and television, Pye’s credits include “To Walk Invisible” by Sally Wainwright (BBC, PBS); “Gloriana,” “A Feast at Midnight,” “Christie Malry’s Own Double Entry,” “Richard II” and “Twelfth Night” (Channel 4).
SANDRA WOODALL (Costume Designer), visual artist and a leading designer for dance, has designed sets and costumes at San Francisco Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, Norwegian National Ballet, the State Opera Ballet of Austria, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Houston Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Project, Singapore Dance Theatre, National Ballet of Finland and other companies around the world. Woodall’s artwork has been shown in exhibitions at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Connecticut, the San Francisco Museum of Performance and Design, and at WearableArt, Hong Kong. She has been a Fulbright scholar at Taiwan National University of the Arts and has designed many productions in Taiwan and China, including 2009’s stadium-scale opening for the Deaf Olympics, the 100th anniversary celebration of Taiwan National Day, Winter Journey by Wan Fang in Beijing and the 2019 premiere in Shanghai of Stan Lai’s 8-hour epic, AGO
DAVID FINN (Lighting Designer) began his professional career as a lighting designer at age 16, working for puppeteer Burr Tillstrom — “Kukla, Fran and Ollie.” His design credits for dance include works for such renowned choreographers as Sasha Waltz, Paul Taylor, Twyla Tharp, Merce Cunningham, James Kudelka, José Limón, Helgi Tomasson, Liam Scarlett, Yuri Possokhov and Dana Reitz, as well as for leading international companies. Finn was the resident lighting designer for Mikhail Baryshnikov’s White Oak Dance Project from 1993 to 2000. His opera work includes projects for the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera, Paris Opera, La Scala Milan, Salzburg Festival and many others. Finn has designed the Cirque du Soleil shows ZED in Tokyo, and R.U.N. and Michael Jackson ONE in Las Vegas. Recent projects include the world premieres of The Flying Dutchman for the Metropolitan Opera, The Seagull for The Bolshoi Ballet, Symphonie MMXX for Sasha Waltz and The Berlin Ballet, Anna Karenina for the Joffrey Ballet, Lohengrin for The Bolshoi Opera & the Metropolitan Opera, Antony and Cleopatra for the San Francisco Opera, Cinderella for The Royal Ballet, and Summer & Smoke with choreographer Cathy Marston for ABT and the Houston Ballet.
FINN ROSS (Video Designer) has won two Oliviers, a Tony Award and three Drama Desk awards. Ross’ theater work includes My Neighbour Totoro (Barbican); Dancin’ (Broadway); Frozen (International); Back to the Future (West End); Tammy Faye, Spring Awakening (Almeida); Mean Girls (Broadway); Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (West End and Broadway); The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Broadway, West End and tour); Jagged Little Pill, In the Body of the World and Crossing (American Repertory Theatre and Broadway); American Psycho (Broadway and Almeida); Betrayal (Broadway); Chimerica (Almeida and West End); The Tempest (Royal Shakespeare Company and Barbican); and Master and Margarita, All My Sons and Shun-kin (Complicité). His opera credits include The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny (Royal Opera House); Benvenuto Cellini, Death of Klinghoffer, Death in Venice, Eugene Onegin, Simon Boccanegra, Damnation of Faust and Don Giovanni (English National Opera); Hansel und Gretel, Zauberflöte and A Dog’s Heart (Dutch National Opera); La Clemenza di Tito and The Adventures of Mr. Brouček (Opera North); Les Pecheurs de Perles, Turn of the Screw (Theatre an der Wien); and Rinaldo (Glyndebourne). Ross’ design work for dance includes Le Petit Prince (National Ballet of Canada) and Frankenstein (Royal Ballet).
FAYE ARMON-TRONCOSO
(Props and Set Decorator) was the first Props/ Set Decorator to have won an Obie Award — ever! Her Broadway credits include The Museum of Broadway; Linda Vista (Hayes); Head Over Heels (Hudson); The Terms of My Surrender (Belasco); Oslo (Lincoln Center); Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Booth); The Gin Game (Golden); Fun Home (Circle in the Square, Tony Award nomination for Best Set); The River (Circle in the Square); Of Mice and Men (Longacre); Macbeth (Lincoln Center); Testament of Mary (Walter Kerr); Golden Boy (Belasco); Clybourne Park (Walter Kerr, Tony Award nomination for Best Set); War Horse (Lincoln Center, Tony Award for Best Set); The Merchant of Venice (Broadhurst/Delacorte, Tony Award nomination for Best Set); Enron (Broadhurst) and Edward Albee’s Seascape (Booth). Faye’s Off-Broadway credits include In the Heights (37 Arts) and Bug (Barrow Street Theater, Obie Award) and a million more OffBroadway productions at Lincoln Center Theater. For television, Faye was Art Director on “The Big Fib” and Prop Master on “The Good Fight.”
ARI PELTO (Conductor). After earning his Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance at Oberlin Conservatory, Pelto studied conducting at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, the Rubin Academy in Jerusalem and at Indiana University. At the age of 24 he was appointed Assistant Conductor at the Spoleto Festival, followed by his appointment at Sarasota Symphony, then known as Florida West Coast Symphony, as Associate Conductor. He has conducted some of America’s leading symphonic orchestras, among them Detroit Symphony, San Diego Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, and Virginia Symphony, as well as opera orchestras in repertoire that includes Bartók, Boccherini, Britten, Debussy, Gluck, Korngold, Laitman, Gershwin, Haydn, Kodaly, Mozart, Mahler, Prokofiev, Puccini, Respighi, Schoenburg, Tchaikovsky, Verdi, and Wagner. Appointed Music Director at Opera Colorado in 2015, Pelto has conducted acclaimed performances of La traviata, Don Giovanni, Madama Butterfly, Aida, La Bohème, Falstaff, La fanciulla del West, Le Nozze di Figaro, Lucia di Lammermoor, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Pagliacci, Otello, Carmen, Rigoletto, and Die tote Stadt among others for the company to date, and contemporary titles include The Shining; the world-premiere of Lori Laitman’s long-awaited work, The Scarlet Letter (a recording of which was released on the Naxos label); and the world premiere of Gerald Cohen’s opera, Steal a Pencil for Me, based on a true love story set in a concentration camp during WWII. In 2023, Maestro Pelto was appointed Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor at Sacramento Philharmonic and Opera; symphonic concerts this season include Brahms’ Stormy Symphony, suite from Prokofiev’s Lieutenant Kijé, Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with Michelle Cann, Sibelius’ Symphony No. 3, and Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition
TAMARA DWORETZ (Conductor) is driven by her belief in the power of classical music to inspire, spread joy, and enrich the human experience. Her compelling, imaginative performances transport audiences so that “reality still(s).” [Seattle Times]. Dworetz’s 2025-26 season includes debuts with the Las Vegas Philharmonic and Symphony of Northwest Arkansas (SONA). Dworetz is in her 3rd season as Artistic Director & Conductor of the Georgia Philharmonic. Dworetz has conducted the Cincinnati Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Boston Pops, Sarasota Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Atlanta Ballet Orchestra, Arkansas Symphony, Amarillo Symphony, Paris Mozart Orchestra, Dallas Opera Orchestra, Boulder Philharmonic, Cabrillo Festival Orchestra, and Mankato Symphony. Recently, Dworetz conducted her first staged opera, Bizet’s Carmen. She has served as an assistant and/or cover conductor for the Orchestre de Paris, Gürzenich Orchestre Cologne, BBC Concert Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and Minnesota Orchestra. She won 2nd prize in the Boston Pops’ Leonard Bernstein Conducting Competition and was a recipient of the Bruno Walter Conducting Fellowship at the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music selected by Cristian Măcelaru. Dworetz is featured in the Netflix documentary, Maestra, directed by Maggie Contreras and produced by David Letterman. She serves as Associate Conductor of Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestras, NYO-USA and NYO2, and is Director of Orchestral Studies at Georgia State University and Charles Thomas Wurm Distinguished Professor in Instrumental Music. She has served guest conducting residencies at University of Texas Butler School of Music, Boston University School of Music, SUNY Fredonia School of Music, and the Longy Conservatory Orchestra at Bard College. She has guest conducted All-State Orchestras in Texas, Virginia, Indiana, Colorado, Georgia and Washington (All-Northwest) as well as the Atlanta Music Project and worked with the Atlanta, Austin, Emory and Boston Youth Orchestras. She maintains a graduate conducting studio at Georgia State University and has led conducting workshops for music educators and young musicians.
creative team
Video Programmer and Equipment provided by Moro Media
Video Engineers, Michael Commendatore & Joey Moro
Associate Lighting Designer, Ben Rawson
Makeup Design by Blythe Tierney Dever
Costume Construction by Parkinson Gill Ltd
Lighting Equipment provided by 4 Wall Entertainment, Inc
Additional Costume Construction by Brigit Pfeffer, Mark Zappone, All-Stitch
Masks & Mice Artisan, Robert Allsopp
Additional Costumes, Scenery & Props Construction by Alliance Theatre
Deck Crew Chiefs, Brian Rosser, Felicia Edwards
Production Electrician, Jamie Mancuso
Head Electrician, Brandon Polk
Head Props by Arlene Collins
Lead Projectionist, Jay Holloway
Acrobat Coach, Cary Jones
Make Up Artist, Tatiana Hayton
Wigs Artists, Frandresha “Brie” Hall & Torrien Thomas
Automation Lead, Sid Sykes
Rigging Equipment provided by Atlanta Rigging Systems
Assistant Stage Manager, Jane Kuipers
For the full creative team behind this production, visit atlantaballet.com/performances/nutcracker
Manda Wilhite, Senior Director of Advancement, Major Gifts and Board Liaison
Dana Hylton Calabro, Director of Technology and Sales Operations
Sherren Sandy, Director of Advancement, Donor Engagement
PATRON SERVICES
Kelly Criss, Director of Advancement, Leadership Gifts
Megan Pearson, Patron Services Manager
Stephen Hall, Patron Services Associate
Francesca Frederick, Director of Advancement, Institutional Gifts
Sophia Doctoroff, Patron Services Associate
Kate Biddle, Group Sales Manager
MARKETING & PUBLIC RELATIONS
Tricia Ekholm, Chief Marketing O cer
Allison Kang, Director of Public Relations
ADVANCEMENT
Taylor Graves, Interim Graphic Designer
COSTUMES
Colleen McGonegle, Costume Director
Susan Carter, Costume Construction Supervisor
Abigail Dupree-Polston, Patternmaker
Abby Thurman, Company Shoe Manager/ Wardrobe Supervisor
Erin Magner, Costume Technician
Briá Sanders, Costume Technician
Katherine Savage, Costume Technician
CENTRE FOR DANCE EDUCATION
Gennadi Nedvigin, Artistic Director
Sharon Story, Dean
Serena Chu, Atlanta Ballet 2 Repetiteur
Diane Caroll, Community Partnerships Director
CENTRE FOR DANCE EDUCATION
Gennadi Nedvigin, Artistic Director
Kelly Tonina Cooper, Centre Administrative Director
Sharon Story, Dean
Ansilla Bearden, Buckhead Centre Manager & Summer Programs Manager
Kelly Tonina Cooper , Centre Administrative Director
Ashley Suta, Virginia-Highland Centre Manager
Mia Givens, Adult Dance Coordinator
Diane Caroll Sales, Community Partnerships Director
Evan Rozier, Front Desk Manager
Kate Gaul, Buckhead Centre Principal
Nicole Adams, Virginia-Highland Centre Principal Ansilla Bearden, Satellite Manager
Academy Faculty
Brittney Flowers, Centre Education Associate
Serena Chu, Anna Penny, Natalya Vyashenko, Kirill Zaretskii
Faculty
Part-Time Faculty
Nicole Pietro, Interim Chief Advancement Officer
Brian Wallenberg, Video Content Producer
Brandon Brown, Senior Director of Individual Giving
Myredith Momongan, Associate Director of Group Sales
Kelly Criss, Senior Director of Institutional Giving
Toni C. Vacinek, Associate Director of Marketing Communications
Ansleigh Brown, Individual Giving Manager
Kathryn Gutierrez, Special Events Manager
Zoey Fleck, Social Media Manager/Graphic Designer
Jasmine Atkins, Special Events Coordinator
PATRON SERVICES
MARKETING & PUBLIC RELATIONS
Lindsay Smith, Associate Director of Patron Services
Tricia Ekholm, Chief Marketing Officer
Desiree Houston, Patron Services Manager
Nicole Adams, Alice Balhatchet, Ansilla Bearden, Shirley Bennett, Haley Brink, Darby Burgess, Serena Chu, Harmony Clair, Kelly Tonina Cooper, Kameron Davis, Nardja el-Shabazz, Kate Gaul, Ashley Gibson, Nell Heflin Goza, Jennifer Inman, LaToya Princess Jackson, Aaron James, Malik Jenkins, Caroline Kraehe, Sergio Masero, Loren McFalls, Arneshuia Nelson, Anna Penny, Chantia Robinson, Diane Caroll Sales, Roscoe Sales, Erin Smith, Jasmine Stevenson, Abigail Tan-Gamino, Grace Thompson, Jennifer Van Meter, Calla Vaughn, Natalya Vyashenko, Martine Weber
Marlena Abaza, Shirley Bennett, Georgie Grace Butler, Diane Caroll, Kelly Tonina Cooper, Kameron Davis, Taia Galloway, Mia Givens, Jennifer Inman, Madelin Jamison, Cary Jones, Courtney Johnson, Calla Kallina, Matoi Kawamoto, Stephany Kuzmuski, Janan Mirza, Han Myers, Arneshuia Nelson, Abi Pace, Andrea Pell, Chantia Robinson, Lay’la Rogers, Roscoe Sales, Ericka Shannon, Anderson Souza, Caitlin Spencer, Jasmine Stevenson, Ashley Suta, Abi Tan-Gamino, Emanuel Tavares
Accompanists
Accompanists
Elizabeth Grimes, Aleksandra Korshunova, Yulia Rice, Gretel Rodriguez, Kyla Zollitsch
Stephanie Kosarin, Yulia Rice, Kyla Zollitsch
Centre Education Associates
Centre Education Associates
Imani Austin-Edwards, Shannon Geary, Flora Mangio, Hui-Wen Peng, Kaitlin Roemer, Jada Russell, Samantha Schuermann, Emma Seif
Fiona Shaw, Marketing and Communications Director
Mallory Hazen , Patron Services Assistant
Jasmine Martinez , Patron Services Assistant
Alane Marco, Design Director
Josh Reynolds , Patron Services Assistant
Tumi Akin-Deko, Communications Coordinator
PRODUCTION
Henry Woods, Manager of Marketing Strategy and Data Analysis
Dave Smith, Production Manager & Technical Director
Amber Times, Social Media Manager
Sicily Palms, Company Manager
Nicole Walters, Production Stage Manager
PRODUCTION
Jane Kuipers, Assistant Stage Manager
Nicole Walters, Director of Production
Kristin Kelley , Assistant Stage Manager
Jonathan Fries, Technical Director
COSTUMES
Jai Auzenne, Production Stage Manager
Colleen McGonegle, Costume Director
Abby Polston, Draper
Susan Carter, Costume Construction Supervisor
Abby Parker, Company Shoe Manager/Wardrobe Supervisor/Costume Technician
Chloe Gervais, Costume Technician
Maddie Simmons, Costume Technician
Ashleigh Dobrin, Finisher
Atlanta Ballet Boutique
Ana Ames, Imani Banks, Daniel Gray, Sidney Hall, Megan Leach, Emily McAllister, Rania Mirza, Ava Price, Evan Rozier
Leslie Campbell Judge, General Manager
Nardja el-Shabazz, Asst. General Manager, Atlanta Ballet Boutique
Atlanta Ballet Boutique
Louise Gordon, Retail Operations Manager
Alina Chaudhri, Boutique Coordinator
Mia Givens, Boutique Merchandise Coordinator
Concessions: Concession stands are located in the center of the lobbies. All sales are cashless - credit or debit card only.
Emergency Information: In the event of an emergency, please locate the nearest usher who will direct you to the appropriate exit.
Elevators: Elevators are located on each side of the lobbies on all levels.
Lost and found: Items are turned into Public Safety on the day of a performance. To inquire about a lost item, please call Public Safety at 770.916.2911.
Parking: Day of parking is available for $20 (credit or debit card only). There are 1,000 on-site parking spaces; 700 in a four-level deck and 300 more in a surface lot.
Restrooms: Located on house right and house left of all three lobbies. Family restrooms are located on house right of all three lobbies. Mobility-impaired patrons may use any of our restrooms.
Smoking: Smoking, vaping and e-cigarettes are prohibited inside the building.
Special assistance: Persons requiring access assistance are asked to contact the Ticketmaster at 800-982-2787 for advance arrangements. Audio clarification devices are available to our hearing-impaired guests at no charge. This is on a first-come, first-served basis. These are available at the Synovus Box Office. Wheelchairs are available upon request. All items require a form of identification to be held until the item is returned.
Prohibited items: The venue does not check items. Please visit https://www. cobbenergycentre.com/plan-your-visit/ prohibited-itemssecurity for more information.
ATLANTA BALLET REQUESTS
All patrons, regardless of age, must have a ticket to be admitted to the performance. Please be aware that not all events are suitable for children. Infants will not be admitted to adult programs. Parents will be asked to remove children who create a disturbance.
Please turn off all cellphones before each performance.
Audio & video recording devices are not permitted.
Please unwrap all candies and cough drops before the perfomance.
Late arrivals will be seated in alternative seating until intermission when you can then access your seats.
We recommend arriving at least 45 minutes early so you have time to visit concessions and get to the seats you purchased. Doors to Cobb Energy Centre open 90 minutes prior to the performance.
